Siren
by Tori Michaelis
Summary: "I've known you since you were a baby." He said, frowning at me. "I know you're not the strongest, but you're far from weak. I know you're not a killer, but this is the Hunger Games, I need to get you back to District 4 alive, and to do that, I need you to help me. I need you to be brave. I need you to act confident. I need you to be the siren you were named after." Cato/OC. Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore set my mind at ease, the sand was wet and squishy beneath my toes, the sun was peeking out from behind a fluffy white cloud in the sky, it would have been a beautiful day in District 4 if it weren't for the Hunger Games.

In just a few short hours, the entire town would be in the Town Square, waiting and watching fearfully as the children between the ages of twelve and eighteen have their names drawn from the over-sized fish bowls to become Tributes in the 74th Annual Hunger Games and fight to the death against the other twenty two Tributes from different districts.

I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it. When the sun finally came out of hiding, I stood up and brushed the sand off my shorts. My dad wasn't working on his fishing boat today, because of the Hunger Games, and today was a rare day when he finally got to sleep in.

I woke up around seven thirty, and judging by the sun's position, it was around ten o'clock and I needed to get home and wake everyone up, because the reaping in District 4 always took place at noon. The walk back to the small cottage my father owned took just under ten minutes. The main room was empty, aside from the small round table, the fireplace a few cupboards and a worn out leather sofa.

Dad was sleeping in the bedroom upstairs, so I woke him up first before I moved onto the room I shared with my younger siblings. Kai and Coral were sleeping next to each-other like new-born puppies, huddled together for warmth. Normally both of them were very light sleepers, but when I shut the bedroom door, they continued sleeping.

I climbed into the bed and gently stroked their hair, pushing it away from their eyes, but they didn't even stir. "Kai," I said in a soft voice, "Coral. It's time to wake up." After a few more minutes, Coral's eyelids flutter lightly before I was greeted with the sight of my sisters warm brown eyes.

I was often told that I was a mirror image of my mother, except for the fact that my eyes were green, while hers had been blue. Coral shared our mothers blonde hair, while Kai resembled our dad with his black hair and tanned skin.

Most of the residents of District 4 possessed blue or green eyes, but I found it strange that I had green eyes, even though no one in our family did. "It's time to wake up," I repeated, when Kai's blue eyes opened and blinked sleepily. "Dad's boiling some water for a bath, I'm going to make breakfast." I pressed a kiss to both their foreheads and went back downstairs to the main room.

I could never compare to Mom's cooking, but I still managed to keep everyone satisfied. I made a somewhat pathetic breakfast of toasted bread, some fish and glasses of water. By the time everything was cooked, both the twins came downstairs for breakfast. Kai was wearing some of Dad's old clothes, a blue button up shirt and some grey pants, Coral was wearing one of my old dresses, pink cotton decorated with white frills, bows and ribbons that made her look just like a little doll.

"You both look wonderful." I commented, nibbling on a piece of toast. Dad came in shortly after, his face was freshly shaved and he, too was dressed in his best clothes. "You should get dressed too, Si." He said, sipping his water. "I boiled some water for your bath."

I murmured my thanks and went to take my bath while the rest of my family ate. I bathed quickly, not bothering to wash my hair, because it would take forever to dry. I dried off and changed into a yellow sun-dress and a pair of light brown leather sandals.

They belonged to my Mom, I wore most of her old clothes, except the things she got from the Capitol. I ran a brush through my hair and resisted the urge to pull it into a ponytail, which is the way I usually wore it. On Reaping Day, all the children needed to dress their best, not how they were comfortable.

Dad was washing the breakfast dishes when I came back into the main room. "I'm done." I announced, taking a seat next to Coral. Dad just nodded and continued washing the dishes. When he finished that, he went to dump the now cold water from the washing bin and when he came back, he was frowning.

"It's time."

My muscles tensed at these words like they did every year. On the walk to the Town Square, I held on tightly to both Kai and Coral's hands as they walked on either side of me, Dad was leading us until he and Coral had to go stand beyond the barrier with the other parents and the people who were too old or too young to be reaped.

To distract my brother from the fear of having their blood taken, I murmured to him quietly to take a look at the man on the stage who would escort the Tributes from District 4 to the Capitol.

His name was Floyd Flounder (we snickered together quietly). His hair was dark green this year, like the color of seaweed, and his skin was tinged green as well; he looked as though he was sea-sick or something. I suppose he was just trying to support the Tributes of District 4, and I understood that, but this was just ridiculous.

After we had our fingers pricked and our blood drawn, we had to go stand with the other children. From my spot in the pen where the seventeen-year-old girls stood, I had a perfect view of my brother; Kai was standing stiff as a board with his eyes forward.

"Happy Hunger Games!" Floyd Flounder said in a high-pitched Capitol accent. "And may the odds be ever in your favor!" He went on about how being chosen as a Tribute was a high honor and then proceeded to show us all a clip from the Capitol. It was the same every year, I remember watching it was I was twelve, but after that I always tuned it out.

During the time it play, I clasped my hands together and prayed that Kai wouldn't be chosen. If Coral was reaped when she turned twelve next year, I could save her by volunteering, but because I was a girl, I had no chance of saving Kai, should his name be drawn.

I kept telling myself that the chances of Floyd Flounder fishing his name out of the bowl were not likely, he only had his name in three times. I chanted this in my mind until the girl on my right put her hand on my shoulder and shook me slightly.

"Siren Cruz? Where are you, darling? You've been chosen as the female Tribute of District 4..."

It took a while for everything to sink in, but the first thing that registered in my mind was not that my name had been reaped, it was the extremely loud sob that came from my sister. I began to move toward her, to comfort her, but as soon as I stepped out of the seventeen-year-old pen, I was tugged in the direction of the make-shift stage by two Peacekeepers.

Once on stage, I could see my family in the crowd; Coral was being hugged by one of her friends, Kai looked as though he was holding back tears and Dad looked stoic among the other parents and people who were too old to be reaped.

"Any volunteers?" Floyd asked. Even though District 4 was a Career District, the only sounds that were hear were the sobbing of my sister and the distant crashing of the waves against the shore. "Alrighty then, onto the boys~" Floyd announced. He crossed the stage to the other over-sized fish bowl and he was shoulder deep in tiny slips of paper before he finally emerged with one and went back to the microphone to announce the male Tribute.

"Tyler Reid!" My heart sank into my stomach like an anchor. I knew Tyler Reid. His father died in a fishing boat accident and he was left to live with his mother, who was heavily pregnant and sobbing, Dad was doing his best to comfort her. He was Kai's best-friends and he was only fourteen-years-old.

He was biting his lip so hard, nearly drawing blood in an attempt to hold back his tears; his fists clenched at his side, his body shaking. He didn't bother to try and hold back his tears when he got on stage and nobody volunteered for him.

I gave Tyler's hand a reassuring squeeze before we were both rushed into the Justice Building to say goodbye to our families. I was ushered inside a room by a Peacekeeper and the door closed behind me. I was so numb, I didn't even take in the beautiful room until the door opened again and Coral tackled me from behind.

"Don't go!" She sobbed into my dress. "Don't go, please!" I bit the inside of my teeth to stop my own tears. "I have to, Cori. I want you to remember that I love you." I said softly, glancing at my siblings and father. "I love you all so much...!" She buried her face in my shoulder and continued to cry.

"I want you to be a good girl for Daddy, alright? She made some incoherent sounds that I took as a yes. I smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead before enveloping Kai into a hug too; He didn't openly sob like Coral, but his face was streaked with tears.

"Promise me something?" He sniffled.

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't stop fighting until the end." Coral removed her hands from around my neck and held her tiny pinky finger out to me. "Pinky promise?"

I gave them a watery smile and locked both my pinkies around theirs. "Pinky promise." Kai and Coral sat down on the couch and consoled each-other. Dad didn't make a move to hug me, but he opened his arms wide and I threw myself in them, sobbing.

"Keep your chin up, listen to your mentor, don't get too friendly with the other Tributes. I told your mother the same thing and she made it back to bless me with three beautiful children." He pulled away a little to wipe the tears from my face. "I expect you to do the same. I don't want to wait too long to have grand babies."

I giggled softly. Because my family was my only visitors, they got to stay with me the entire time. I was just finishing braiding Coral's hair when a Peacekeeper came by to announce that their time with me was up. I gave them each a hug and a kiss and called out, "I love you all!" before the door closed and I was left alone.

I took the time I had by myself to try and calm myself before I had to face the public again and take the car ride to the train station. There was a beautiful mirror hanging on the wall and I examined myself in it. My eyes were pink and glazed over, making it obvious that I had been crying, and I still had tear marks on my cheeks and tears clinging to my pale eyelashes, which I quickly wiped away; My dress had a few wet spots from Coral and Kai's tears and my hair was slightly unkempt.

I ran my fingers through the tresses to make them look neat before the Peacekeeper returned and gruffly said it was time to go. I swallowed the lump in my throat and allowed him to escort me out of the Justice Building and into the car that was taking Floyd, Tyler and myself to the train station.

The car ride only lasted about ten minutes, even through the tinted windows, I could see people with cameras and I felt numb again. The door opened and Tyler and I emerged from inside the car. Everyone was shouting, snapping pictures and trying to touch us. Before I knew it we were on the train and headed towards the Capitol.

As the train was leaving the station, I said my final goodbye to my home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Followers are good. Favorites are even better, but if you want this story to continue, I need reviews!**

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When I could no longer see the ocean, I joined Floyd and Tyler in the main compartment. I could hardly remember any of the nice furniture in the home my mother owned in Victors Village. The furniture in the Capitol train was beyond beautiful. Crystal chandeliers, mahogany wood and plush carpets.

Tyler didn't bother to hide his amazement. I tried to act sophisticated, but I couldn't help but squeal when I saw the cherry cheesecake on the table. I sat down at the table, dragging the cheesecake closer to me. Tyler quickly pulled out the chair beside me and began piling food on his plate.

Floyd watched us in slight disgust as we gorged ourselves on the fancy Capitol food for about five minutes before he murmured something that we didn't hear and quickly continued on into another compartment. He was only gone for ten minutes, but I managed to finish the entire cheesecake and was busy dipping pieces of fruit and some tiny marshmellows in the chocolate fountain when he came back with two other people behind him.

I looked back when I heard the door slid open and the strawberry in my mouth landed on the carpeted floor, staining it with chocolate when I squealed. "Finnick!" He ran a hand through his tousled bronze hair and tried to smile as though he were happy to see me. "Hello Siren. Hello Tyler." He smiled at Tyler, who blushed at the attention and murmured a quiet hello.

Finnick walked further into the room and that's when I saw it was Annie who was behind him, holding his hand, allowing herself to be led around. I smiled at her, but she was staring off into space. "Why don't we all take a seat?" Finnick gestured to the posh arm chairs and two seat sofa.

Tyler sat in one of the arm chairs, Finnick sat on the sofa, but Annie wandered off. Finnick didn't seem worried about her, so I sat down in the chair next to Tyler. "S-so... you're our mentors...?" He asked quietly.

"Technically yes, but I will be the one doing the mentoring." Finnick responded, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "I'll be responsible for getting you both sponsors and giving you advice on how to stay alive in the arena."

As soon as those words left his lips, my heart nearly stopped when I realized for the first time how real this was. I was on my way to the Capitol to participate in the Hunger Games, by this time next week I could be dead, or have the blood of innocent children on my hands.

My stomach churned and I immediately clapped a hand over my mouth and shot out of the chair, startling the others. I dashed to a window, threw it wide open, stuck my head out and lost my breakfast and cheesecake.

Someone's hands were holding my hair and patting my back soothingly until the dry-heaves stopped and I was shaking like a leaf with tears once again clinging to my eyelashes. "Maybe you should take a nap, Siren..." Annie said; she was the one holding my hair back.

"That's a good idea." I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and let Finnick pick me up, carrying me out of the dining cart and into the room that said "District 4 - Female" like I was a baby. He unbuckled and removed my sandals for me before he tucked me into bed.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered.

"For what?" He asked softly, pulling the covers up to my chest.

"For being so weak. I can't do this, Finnick. I'm not brave like my mom..." My eyes filled with tears at the thought of my mom. Is this was she felt like when she was chosen as Tribute? Finnick wiped the tears from my eyes and pulled me into a hug.

"I felt the same way when I was chosen, and your mother did too. I've known you since you were a baby," He said, frowning at me. "I know you're not the strongest, but you're far from weak. I know you're not a killer, but this is the Hunger Games. I want to get you back to District 4 alive, but to do that, I need you to help me. I need you to be brave, I need you to act confident, I need you to be the siren you were named after."

"Wh-what about Tyler?" I murmured, and instantly regretted it when Finnick winced as though I had physically slapped him. "I'm going to do everything I can for him too, I promise." He kissed my forehead. "Take a nice long nap, Si. I'll wake you up for dinner."

I feel into a restless sleep as soon as Finnick left the room.

It was night-time when Finnick came and woke me up for dinner. He suggested a nice hot shower and a change of clothes before he left the room. I took his advice and stripped out of my dress before I made my way into the bathroom attached to my room.

The bathroom was mostly made out of dark marble and silver, and it was simply beautiful, but the shower confused me. I stood on the cold stone, staring at all the buttons. I fiured the red button meant hot water, so I pressed it and to my delight, I was correct. I stood under the hot spray of water for five minutes before the screen built into the wall asked me what scent of body-wash did I want.

I searched through the list until I found one that said, "ocean mist" and picked it. I was instantly covered in a foamy lather that smelled amazing, not like the salt sea air, but homey nonetheless. I shampooed and conditioned my hair and pressed the button that said done.

My body was blow-dried and covered in mosturizer and my hair fell in a sleek straight curtain around my face and neck. I walked back into the bedroom wrapped in a fluffy white towel and picked out a pair of blue jeans and a pink ruffled tank-top and walked to the dining cart bare-foot.

Finnick, Annie, Tyler and Floyd were all sitting at the table but their plates remained empty, their tall glasses of water untouched. I knew they were waiting for me so I sat down quickly. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting, you could have started eating without me..."

"Nonsense dear, that would've been incredibly rude of us." Floyd said in a rather snippy voice that told me he was hungry and wanted to eat now. Someone must have told the people who prepared the food that the fancy food from the Capitol made me sick, because the dishes that were prepared for dinner were all comfort foods. Pepperoni pizza, macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese sandwiches and many other things that looked and smelled delicious and homey.

Because I lost all the food I ate that day, I took a few slices of pizza, and some scoops of pasta and pored myself a glass of pink lemonade. "How are you feeling, Siren?" Annie asked quitetly, dipping one corner of her grilled cheese sandwich in her tomato soup.

"I'm okay now, thanks Annie." I responded, smiling softly at her, but she was staring down at the fish shaped crackers swimming in her soup, ignoring the world around her. I ate my dinner quietly, listening to Annie mumbling to herself, Finnick and Tyler were talking, Floyd was the only one who spoke loudly. "Who wants to watch the recap of the reapings~?"

I honestly didn't want to look at any of the children I would have to kill or who might kill me and Tyler, I wanted to go back to my room, like Annie did, but Finnick held out his hand, and I knew it would be better if I took it and allowed him to lead me into the sitting area where Tyler and Floyd waiting.

I sat down next to Tyler, who immediately moved closer into my side (I suspect this was because Floyd was sitting next to him, and to be perfectly honest, the man was creepy) and Finnick sat down on my other side. "I can't wait to see the other tributes!" Floyd squealed, pressing a button on the remote control.

I frowned at him. Even if he was a total creeper, he didn't need to act like he was really looking forward to seeing the kids that would probably kill both Tyler and I. They start in District 1 first, obviously; the tributes don't really stand out to me. They were both seventeen and blonde, the boys name was Marvel, and the girl was Glimmer.

The female tribute from District 2 was younger than I am, at the age of fifteen, but she was also an inch taller and not-surprisingly, a little bit bigger. District 4 was still a Career District, but I always suspected the people of 1 and 2 were better-fed and obviously they were trained for the Hunger Games.

The first volunteer of the Games was the boy from 2, who shoved other kids out of his way as he lunged forward to volunteer, his name was Cato and he was eighteen. If I had any money, I would bet on him to win.

After two tributes were reaped from District 3, I closed my eyes and buried my face in Finnick's shoulder. I could hear Floyd's high-pitched, squeaky voice calling my name, one, twice, three times before I finally began walking to the stage. I can hear my little sister's sobs when nobody volunteered for me, and then Tyler was reaped, and then we moved on to District 5.

Everybody sat in silence, staring at the televison screen until the boy from District 12 was called upon the stage and the screen went blank. We stayed in silence for a few more seconds before Finnick asked, "Was there any other tributes you two could see as allies?"

Tyler shook his head no and countinued to stay curled into my side. I didn't want to ally myself with any of the other tributes, except for maybe Tyler because I knew he wouldn't kill me, not unless he and I were the last tributes left, which I seriously doubt would happen. The ones that stood out to me were the Careers, which was to be expected, the boy from 11 and the girl from 12.

I didn't mention the Careers to Finnick when I responded with my answer, because I knew that he knew I was already thinking it. The other tributes who were watching were probably thinking the same thing. He chuckled humorlessly when I said the girl from 12. "I had a feeling you'd say that..."

She only stood out to me because she volunteered for her sister, I would've done the same thing for Coral, and Kai, if I could.

Tyler didn't leave my side until Floyd announces that the time was nine-thirty and we would be arriving at the Capitol in the morning, he said we needed rest, so when I stood up from the sofa, Tyler clung to me like a spider monkey and followed me to the compartment with the bedrooms.

"Goodnight..." I murmured softly, brushing his curly blonde hair back to kiss his forehead. He blushes slightly, but when I turn away to open my bedroom door, he called my name. "Siren...?"

"Hm?" I turned back to look at him.

"Before we left home, Kai came to say goodbye... and, umm, he gave me this to give to you." He pulled a black leather cord from his pocket. I recognized it instantly, my mother made it when she was pregnant with Kai and she added beautiful seashells as our little family grew. She died giving birth to Coral and I took it upon myself to add another seashell because she never got the chance.

"Would you... um, would you like me to put it on for you?" He asked nervously.

"Please..."

I held up my long blonde hair and Tyler wrapped the cord around my neck, clasping it from behind. The seashells felt cool against my skin and still carried the scent of the ocean, it was comforting. "Thank you, Tyler..."

He nodded and said his own goodnight before he went into his room and shut the door behind him. I searched through the dressers before I found a blue and white striped night dress and put it on, leaving the blue jeans and tank top on the floor.

Even after I had a nap that afternoon, I fell asleep within minutes of my head touching the pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed this story! I'm so sorry it took so long to publish this chapter.**

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I didn't feel any better about the situation when I woke up the next morning, the sun had barely risen, but I knew immediately it was about six thirty. Dad would've been awake by now, he was probably trying to fix Coral and Kai some breakfast before they went off to school and he went off to work. I never had the chance to sleep in, because I was always playing care-taker for my family, and just because I was probably going to die soon didn't mean I wanted to start living like the people in the Capitol who stayed in bed until noon.

I threw the comforter off the bed as I sat up and stretched my arms over my head. Somebody had been in here to clean while I was asleep. The clothes that I left on the floor last night were gone, my chest tightened; my mother's dress and sandals were gone too. I left my room almost an hour later after I showered, smelling like strawberries and white chocolate, with my hair tied in a ponytail and my body clothed in denim overall shorts with a long sleeved pink T-shirt.

Nobody else was in the dining car when I arrived, but I wasn't too surprised. A clock that hung on the wall said it was only seven-thirty. As hungry as I was, my mother taught me manners, nobody started eating until everyone was at the table. So I walked past all the delicious looking food, trying to ignore my rumbling tummy and the mouth-watering aroma that drifted my way as I went into the bar car.

Finnick never mentioned any other cars in this train, except for the bar car, the dining car and the bedrooms, but he also never said we couldn't explore the train, and I figured the Capitol would have people standing guard where we weren't supposed to be, so when I didn't see anyone in the bar car, I continued onward.

The door beyond the bar car lead to another set of bedrooms, I noticed they had signs as well, but these ones said District 3. I never realized that we would all be arriving on the same train. I knew I shouldn't have continued walking towards the front of the train, but there were no guards and I didn't seen any other Tributes or mentors or even Capitol escorts, I pressed on, going through their dining car and bar car and onto the next set of bedrooms that said District 2.

All of the cars had a similar Capitol-like look, with the crystal and the mahagony, the velvets and silks. Every dining car had the same spread set out on the table. Fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, juicy, slightly burned sausages, cinnamon buns, pieces of toast cut into triangles and multiple pitchers of juice.

When my stomach rumbled even louder then before, I decided to turn back and return to the District 4 compartments. Finnick and Tyler were the only ones up. "Annie and Floyd are still sleeping, so why don't we just start eating without them?" Finnick suggested, sitting down at the head of the table. Tyler sat down on his left, while I took the chair on his right.

"Are we going to be in the Capitol soon?" Tyler asked, putting seven or eight sausages on his plate before he smothered them in ketchup. Finnick swallowed his orange juice before he answered Tyler's question. "Yes. We should be arriving any time now. I have some more advice before we get there, though. As soon as we get off the train, you'll be taken to the Remake Centre and handed over to your Stylists and prep team. You probably won't like whatever they do to you, but it's best not to argue with them."

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Finnick was right in assuming I wouldn't like what the prep team did to me, but I was grateful when they said they didn't need to do much prep work, though they seemed disappointed. After the prep-team finished ridding my body of hair, I was submurged in a bath filled with hot water, sweet smelling oils and dried flowers. The bath itself felt gross, but it made my skin feel incredibly soft when a member of the prep team dried me off with a towel, even though I said I could do it myself.

It took nearly two hours for them to finish with my skin(my stylist told them not to touch my hair, or put makeup on my face). I briefly wondered if Tyler had to go through this type of torture as well until my stylist walked in. She was a small woman, only a few inches taller then myself, with incredibly pale skin and blue hair. That was the only strange thing about her appearance. She wore white shorts and a white leather corset with 12 inch black high heels.

"How are you doing, Siren?" She asked, her voice was high-pitched, but not annoying, and her Capitol accent was not as thick as Floyd's. She circled me a few times before she smiled and handed me my robe. "You're going to look gorgeous in your tribute costume!" She squealed in delight. I could only smile weakly and hope she was right.

After my stylist (I later learned her name was Dawn, a surprisingly normal name for a Capitol citizen) and I had some lunch, which consisted of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, a handful of potato chips, and a pitcher of blue juice that tasted like raspberries, Dawn wiped her face and hands with a napkin and cross the room to the armoire and took out a garment bag.

"I'm not going to be a fish, am I?" I asked nervously.

Dawn laughed. "No, I promise. Your district partner, on the other hand... well, he wasn't so lucky." It took another hour for Dawn to finish making me over, I wasn't allowed to see my tribute costume, so Dawn had to dress me like I was a child and when she was finished, she helped me walk a few feet until she stopped me and spun me around. "Open your eyes!"

The only thing I recognized about the girl in the mirror was the green eyes surrounded by sparkly blue eyeshadow and dark blue mascara. My hair was tied back in what Dawn called a fishtail braid, complete with tiny diamonds weaved into the strands to make it seem like my hair was wet.

The costume was beautiful, if not extremely revealing. I felt my cheeks redden when I saw the aqua blue mesh material that made the upper half of the dress, which was backless. The top tied around the back of my neck and my breasts were covered in a thick material that looks like two seashells. The bottom half of the dress was made of scale-like material with slit down the middle in the front, ending with the same mesh material of the top.

"What do you think?" Dawn asked, almost nervously.

"It's beautiful." I said honestly, looking at her through the mirror. "But I think it would look better on someone else."

Dawn looked surprised. "Are you kidding? I made this dress specifically for you, Siren. You make the dress look beautiful because you, yourself, are beautiful." I didn't agree with her, but I accepted the compliments because that seemed to be the only way she stopped throwing them my way.

I received several looks from the other tributes as Dawn escorted me to the district 4 chariot, which was gold and pulled by a team of chestnut colored horses. I realized what Dawn ment by Tyler being not as lucky as me in getting a good stylist. He was dressed in a blue fish costume, but he was lucky that he was so young, the costume actually looked cute on him.

"Wow Siren!" Tyler exclaimed, causing a lot of heads to turn in our general direction. I blushed when everyone began staring and quickly wandered over to the chariot, my bare feet smacking against the cold stone floor. "You look so pretty!" I smiled softly because I knew he genuinely meant it, even if I didn't think so.

"Oh, Siren." Finnick said breathlessly. "You look perfect! Just like an actual siren!" He wrapped his arms around my bare shoulders and pulled me into a hug. "Now, when you get on that chariot, remember what I told you before." He pressed a kiss to my cheek and lifted me onto the chariot. My legs began to feel shaky, I tried desperately to hold onto Finnick's hand, but eventually he pulled it away and helped Tyler into the chariot after me. "We'll see you soon."

As soon as Finnick stepped down from the chariot, the horses began moving forward, I clutched the gold painted chariot in one hand, and Tyler's hand in the other. My heart pounded in my ears, my mouth filled with saliva, I thought I was about to be sick, I couldn't remember a thing Finnick said to me before.

"Are you ready?" Tyler asked. I took in his phsyical appearance for the first time, not the fish costume, but his facial expression. He was nervous, I could feel his palm growing sweaty, he looked a little queasy, and I really hoped he wasn't going to be sick, because I felt sick as well, and if he threw up, I definitely wasn't going to keep my potato chips down.

I tightened my grip on his hand and smiled as convincingly as I could. "Yeah, remember to smile." He put on his cutest smile and held my hand tightly as we were waved forward by a stage hand and the horses broke into a trot after the District 3 chariot.

There were thousands of Capitol citizen shouting our names as soon was we emerged from the dark tunnel, and once I got a look at the first person I saw, a man with bright pink hair and green lipstick, I began to relax in my outfit, it seemed like they weren't really people, their opinion of how much skin I was revealing didn't seem to matter, they were so foreign to me.

The only thing that kept my stomach tied up in knots was, what would my father say to me when he saw what I was wearing? The thought only made me giggle. Tyler smiled and began to relax as well, in fact, he seemed to own the crowd by waving and smiling, so I followed his example and was delighted to see the crowd began cheering even louder then before.

Nearly all the tributes got the same reaction, but no one could hold a candle to District 12, who rolled out on the chariot on fire. I didn't even both to keep my smile after that, which I was grateful for, the muscles in my cheeks were sore.

"We made it." Tyler said, breathing out a sigh of relief before his smile returned. I merely nodded in agreement. When the chariots took us to the training centre, Finnick, Annie and Floyd were waiting for us. "You both did an excellent job." Finnick praised, helping Tyler and I off the chariot.

"From now, until you enter the arena, you'll be staying in the apartment above the training centre. You'll get a whole floor to yourself, the floor we're staying on is District 4, obviously." Floyd giggled and led us , all to the elevator. The ride to the fourth floor last almost ten seconds, and when the doors slid open, my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe how I thought the Capitol train was luxurious before I got to see the rest of the Capitol. "I know!" Floyd squealed, clapping his hands together. "Isn't it just beautiful~?"

I could only nod my head and follow him through the living area, the dining room and down the hall to the bedrooms. "Why don't you both get cleaned up for dinner?" Floyd pushed me into a room and pulled the door shut behind me.


End file.
